The seventh eclectic and highly personal commemoration of the best of the past year. Personality of the Year Runner up There were plenty of personalities in the South Korean Olympic team, particularly the pistol shooters, archers and the gymnasts. But the athlete that everyone will remember is fencer Shin A-lam, cheated out of a place … [Read More]
Year: 2012
KCC calls for curatorial proposals for 2013 group exhibitions
A new initiative for two group shows at the KCC in 2013: 2013 Open Call for Curatorial Proposals The Korean Cultural Centre UK (KCCUK) invites individual or collective curators to submit an exhibition proposal for a 6-week show of visual art in our exhibition space in central London. Two successful proposals – one proposal by … [Read More]
The Guardian goes to Gangnam
The Guardian gets rewarded for its K-pop coverage with a free trip to Seoul – though they feel obliged to spend most of their time in Gangnam covering the K-pop businsess in the resulting travel article. But there are a couple of interesting quotes which sum up the way many people get into Korean culture: … [Read More]
A Review of the London Korean Year 2012
What a year it’s been. Even without any event organised by the KCC, there’s been more than enough to keep us all entertained and enriched. And when you add into the mix All Eyes on Korea, The Year of the 12 Directors and the London Korean Film Festival we’ve almost had a surfeit of K-Culture. … [Read More]
A Christmas message to the nation from Park Jae-sang
From the BBC website, a seasonal greeting from Psy, in which he promises to give us a full-length concert next year. “Crazy crazy crazy. Sweat, sweat, sweat.” [Read More]
Seasons Greetings, and enjoy our favourite seasonal tune: “Christmas Snowing” from Yell Owe Jam
Best wishes to all LKL’s readers, contributors and supporters, and thanks for staying with us over the past twelve months. We’ll be taking a break for a couple of days. Until we return, please enjoy this lovely Chritmas song from Yell Owe Jam, with vocalist Yedda (aobve left) and saxophonist Kim Heecheol. Thanks to our … [Read More]
LKL Quiz of the Year 2012
We gave it a rest last year, but we’ve brought it back for 2012: the LKL Quiz of the Year, featuring some of the top celebrity stories of the year, as well as one or two from the business and cultural pages. Some, but not all, of these stories might have been featured on LKL … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Now X Here — Korean art mixes and matches in London
Cultural fusion takes many forms. Exciting differences can complement and stimulate the senses. Think food, fashion or music. This week, young South Korean artists in London are also proving that Korean art and the British capital make for an intoxicating blend. A new exhibition, Now X Here, just opened at London’s Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK), … [Read More]
Bridging Europe and Asia in Marketing and Management Theory and Practice
News of an upcoming conference in London: 2013 CAMIS, KSMS & GAMMA Joint Symposium in London will be held at Birkbeck, University of London on Jan. 4, 2013. Theme: Bridging Europe and Asia in Marketing and Management Theory and Practice Date: January 4, 2013 Venue: Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom Host: Centre for … [Read More]
Book Review: John Everard – Only Beautiful Please
Only Beautiful Please – a British Diplomat in North Korea John Everard Asia/Pacific Research Center, Div of The Institute for International Studies, 2012, 250pp It is always with a sense of duty rather than eager anticipation that I pick up a book on the DPRK, regardless of who the author is. To the extent that … [Read More]
Pieta (피에타, 2012) review: violence, abandonment and redemption on the margins of society
With Pieta, Kim Ki-duk has created a searing dramatic thriller set on the very cusp of society adding in copious social commentary, in the process. A film that is both worthy of his talent and utterly deserving of the numerous accolades it has received. [Read More]
High-rise Korean art at NEO Bankside from Choi and Lager
2012 has been a year when Korean art has emerged from the sterile white cube of the gallery to be displayed in real-life spaces. From working offices to inhabited domestic settings, it has been a good year for seeing art in places where you can live with and enjoy it on a daily basis rather … [Read More]
Tim Garland’s Korean collaboration: Sinawi and the Blues
The combination of Korean traditional instruments with modern western ones gives rise to complex performance issues. Incompatibilities of style, volume, timbre and tuning are challenges to be overcome, not always with success. With the improvisatory nature of jazz, where instruments get their chance for solos and where amplification is a customary feature of the mix, … [Read More]
Kim In-geun interview: creative life abroad — art, film, and living in London
London-based Korean artist Kim In-geun discusses his move from sculpture to filmmaking, the creation of his debut short One Fine Day, influences from Hong Sang-soo, collaboration across art forms, and themes of creativity, self-consciousness and everyday absurdity within contemporary artistic life. [Read More]
The presidential election: a fascinating race (part 3)
We’ve rounded the last bend and are into the final stretch of this ‘Fascinating Race’. On 19th December, South Korean voters will elect a new president to the Blue House. Here is what has been happening since part 2. Independent no more First came the stepping down of Ahn Cheol-soo. On November 23rd, in an … [Read More]
BIGBANG at Wembley Arena: Fantastic, Baby
The thudding of the bass speakers was turning my inside to soup as the shrieks of the fangirls were searing laser-like into my brain. And the concert hadn’t even started yet. I had brought a stiffening drink into the arena with me, but there was no chance to down it. As soon as the band … [Read More]